When F1 kicked off its 2009 season with the Australian Grand Prix, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello gave Brawn GP a 1-2 finish in the team’s debut. Button won six of the first seven grand prix last year, en route to his first world championship. Brawn also claimed the constructors’ title in convincing style.
Will Ferrari follow the same route as Brawn did last year?
After a disappointing season last year, it appears Ferrari is back on track with its program. Alonso left Renault and jumped into a championship- contending car at Ferrari this season. He joins Felipe Massa, who has made a remarkable comeback after a high speed crash in qualifying at Hungary last July shortened his season.
F1 Standings Ahead of Australian Grand Prix
“The one-two win in Sakhir gave us confidence and was a great result, but we can’t take anything for granted,” Alonso said. “We have to keep our feet on the ground, keep calm and stay concentrated. In Melbourne, we’re starting from square one.” MiamiHerald.com
McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton says the team will concentrate on improving its qualifying performance for this weekend’s Formula One Australian Grand Prix as it seeks to close the gap on Ferrari and Red Bull.
Hamilton finished third in the season-opening race at Bahrain earlier this month where he qualified fourth, and despite his race pace being almost the same as Ferrari and Red Bull, he could not make up ground on those who started ahead of him.
“Clearly the most important thing for us is to get the qualifying sorted,” Hamilton said Thursday. “Qualifying position has even more impact than it has in the past.
“Its something we’re proactively doing.” USA Today
Sebastian Vettel says he has digested the disappointment of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, where technical problems saw him finish fourth, and is ready to challenge for victory this weekend in Melbourne.
“I’ve put that race behind me and am now looking forward to Australia,” the Red Bull driver told German Press Agency dpa ahead of Sunday’s race at the Albert Park circuit.
Vettel started from pole in Sakhir and had a convincing lead for most of the race, but developed mechanical problems in the 34th lap and limped home in fourth place behind eventual winner Fernando Alonso of Ferrari. Times LIVE
Pos Team Points 1 Ferrari 43 2 McLaren-Mercedes 21 3 Mercedes Benz GP Ltd 18 4 RBR-Renault 16 5 Force India-Mercedes 2 6 Williams-Cosworth 1 7 Renault 0 8 STR-Ferrari 0 9 Lotus-Cosworth 0 10 BMW Sauber-Ferrari 0 11 HRT-Cosworth 0 12 Virgin-Cosworth 0
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